The Australian Bureau of Statistics acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia where we work, learn and live.  We recognise their continuing connection to land, waters and community, and pay our respects to their cultures and Elders, past, present and emerging.

We are pleased to endorse the ABS Inclusion and Diversity Strategy which clearly states our commitment to an inclusive and representative workplace.

As Champions, we will support, influence and provide visible leadership to our inclusion and diversity initiatives by promoting workplace inclusion, role modelling inclusive behaviours and influencing cultural change.

As Executive Sponsors we have committed to understanding the barriers to inclusion and equity and will advocate on behalf of diversity groups across the ABS and the APS more broadly. We will actively support and promote an inclusive culture within the ABS.

We are striving to provide a positive and safe workplace that recognises the diverse capabilities, perspectives and experiences of our staff. The ABS will be stronger and more successful when our workforce reflects the communities we serve, and we harness this strength effectively.

We commit to a workplace culture that values inclusion and diversity; we embrace this in our everyday work and will work hard to harness the efforts of staff to achieve this Strategy’s outcomes.

Leanne Harmon, Anders Holmberg, George Holton, Katherine Keenan, Lane Masterton, Sybille McKeown, Lisa Scanlon, Marcel Van Kints, David Zago.

ABS Inclusion and Diversity Champions

Jenet Connell, Teresa Dickinson, Dr David Gruen AO, Helen Wilson

ABS Inclusion and Diversity Executive Sponsors

“Diversity is the one true thing we all have in common. Celebrate it every day” Author Unknown

The ABS is working to improve our workplace, so it better reflects our community, is more inclusive and benefits from the diverse skills, perspectives and experiences of our staff. We welcome diversity in all its forms in our workplace where everyone can contribute fully, feel valued, and be themselves without fear. Being diverse and inclusive supports us to become a higher performing and stronger organisation.

“Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance” - Verna Myers

Inclusion and diversity means recognising, respecting and valuing individual differences, and having an environment where people are empowered and can fully contribute their talents, skills, experiences, thoughts and energies to the workplace. It involves removing barriers to ensure everyone is able to participate and have equitable access to opportunities. It enables new and innovative ways to work, solve problems and create efficiencies and quality outcomes for the benefit of the organisation.

When inclusion and diversity are valued and embodied in the workplace, we see benefits such as better decision making, higher employee engagement, improved performance, greater innovation, retention of the people we need in the future, and improved staff wellbeing, as well as lower levels of unwanted behaviours such as bullying and harassment.

Inclusion and Diversity are everyone’s responsibility and require a collective approach. Unless people are consciously inclusive, exclusion can occur unintentionally. People who feel they belong perform better, become more willing to challenge themselves and are more resilient. Inclusion leads to belonging, belonging leads to engagement, engagement leads to high performance and productivity. Inclusion allows individuals to bring their authentic selves to work.

An inclusive and diverse workforce will provide the ABS with the experience, knowledge and capability to design and deliver services which meet the needs of the people making important decisions across Australia.

The Strategy brings together our inclusion and diversity principles and outcomes and demonstrates our commitment to being an inclusive and diverse organisation. This Strategy also supports the fostering of inclusion and diversity in the workplace set out in the Public Service Act 1999, as outlined in the APS Employment Principles and supported by the APS Values and Code of Conduct and the objectives of the:

• ABS Reconciliation Action Plan
• ABS Workforce Strategy 2021-25
• Commonwealth Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Workforce Strategy 2020-24
• Australian Public Service Disability Employment Strategy 2020-2025
• Australian Public Service Gender Equality Strategy 2021-2026

We feel connected and valued. Our diverse experiences, views and skills are actively sought out to shape business decisions and the ways our teams work together.

We have an inclusive culture where our employees:

• Respect, value and understand individual differences and experiences.
• Actively listen to and learn from the lived experiences of their colleagues.
• Treat each other with dignity, respect and fairness.
• Recognise, value and draw on the potential, skills, knowledge and experiences of our diverse workforce.
• Drive innovation and creativity through different and diverse perspectives.
• Support an environment where harassment and discrimination are not tolerated and people feel safe, welcomed and empowered to be their whole selves in the workplace.
• Our staff work in an environment that is culturally and psychologically safe.

We are a flexible, adaptive and inclusive organization that attracts and retains a workforce which reflects the diversity of the Australian Community we serve.

We are seen as an attractive employer that provides a supportive and inclusive workplace by ensuring:

• The public face of the ABS, especially our website and media imagery, reflects the diversity of our people and the communities we serve.
• Our workforce profile reflects the Australian population.
• We align with APSC strategic goals by actively using Affirmative Measures processes to increase the proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people with disability in our workforce.
• We continually review our processes and methods to identify and address systemic barriers to entry and advancement and improve our attractiveness as an employer of choice.
• Our physical workplaces and technology are based on the principle of accessibility for all.
• We invest in the professional development and careers of our staff.

Our workplace structures, systems and procedures assist our people to effectively develop and build their capabilities. We harness the potential, skills, perspectives and experience of our people to increase organisational capability.

We embody a high-performance culture where everybody is valued by ensuring:

• Our employees are supported and encouraged to undertake management and/or leadership opportunities.
• Our employees and managers readily access resources regarding workplace inclusion and diversity.
• Our employees are provided with a safe, accessible, and inclusive work environment which provides flexibility and support.
• Our management and leadership development programs have inclusion and respectful behavior as central components.
• Our capability development activities and resources are truly accessible for all employees.
• The knowledge and experience of our diverse workforce improves ABS business practice.
• Our commitment to inclusion and diversity guides our interactions in Australian communities.

Our leaders reflect the diversity of our workforce. They pave the way and integrate inclusion and diversity into all aspects of the business by role modelling and promoting a culture that supports the abilities and experiences of our employees.

Our leaders are from varied cultures, faiths, backgrounds and diversity groups. They foster, promote and drive inclusion and diversity within the workplace by:

• Building and leading diverse work teams with respectful, supportive behaviour.
• Modelling inclusive behaviour and actively challenging the behaviour of others that do not reflect these values.
• Modelling healthy work/life balance and actively supporting flexible working in their teams.
• Participating in developing their inclusive leadership capability and applying their acquired knowledge.
• Championing actions and deliverables from the Reconciliation Action Plan and Commonwealth Strategies, by promoting and encouraging alignment with work programs and outputs.
• Heads of Office work with local network members or members of communities to actively support office led approaches to inclusion and diversity activities.

We will monitor our progress against the Inclusion and Diversity Strategy 2022-2026 via various means, for example APS Employee Census, ABS well-being surveys, HR Indicators and report outcomes annually through the ABS People Committee.

To remain relevant and effective, the strategy will be reviewed annually to assess and measure progress and adjust and reset priorities to meet the needs of the organisation.